'The police force of today is not the police force of 30 years ago' - Gonzi

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi was very well received in a discussion held this evening on his home turf of Marsascala.

After several flat performances at similar events of late, Gonzi appeared to be more relaxed and at ease.

Reno Bugeja was on hand to administer affairs, which was a refreshing change from the usual partisan line of questioning synonymous with these events.

The Prime Minister was put on the spot as to whether an independent inquiry will be held in response to the oil purchasing scandal.  

"My answer is clear. As I have always done in the past in the case of any such allegations, only the police have the power to investigate. When we have given them their space to investigate, even magistrates have been brought down. This is no the same police force that we had thirty years ago. I do not want to put any political pressure on them. My instructions to everyone are to cooperate and to hand over all the relevant information."

Questioned on the sustainability of the PN's €1,000 pension account proposal for all newborn children, Gonzi said that it is part of a longer term vision.

"Every government has to plan for the long term. We have to ensure that the youngsters of today can benefit from a viable pension. A balance always has to be struck. The strategy used thus far seems to have worked.  We have raised the pension age from 61 to 65. Those pensioners who want to work beyond retirement age can now do so without losing the right to their pension."

"The reasoning behind the €1,000 pension account for newborns is to foster a culture of contributing to ones own pension. This is a new concept, young children will be sensitised to the need to look out for their pension from a very early age," Gonzi said.

"Pensioners working beyond retirement age will only pay half of the normal stamp duty."

Pushed on whether this will lead to employers exploiting pensioners instead of regular workers, Gonzi dismissed this and guaranteed that all workers' rights shall be protected.

Part timers working two jobs will also have the opportunity to an improved pension.

"Persons working two part time jobs will have the option of paying stamp duty on both jobs in order to ensure a better pension," Gonzi said.

"All these proposals will only work if job creation remains at the top of the government's agenda. We need to create 25,000 jobs in the coming five years. If this does not come to fruition then we will be in big trouble."

Question on the seeming alchemy of delivering a balanced budget in 2015 whilst reducing taxes, Gonzi elaborated on the PN's plans.

"The answer is simple. We have created 20,000 jobs during this legislature. This has greatly increased the government's tax revenue. Coupled with this, tourism has been at record levels of late. This has generated income for our country. Tax revenue from the financial sector has also been on the increase," Gonzi said.

Reno Bugeja pointed out that the budget deficit has actually increased as an absolute figure. Gonzi countered that the budget deficit has to be seen as a percentage of GDP, not a figure in isolation.